Distance: 5.5 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 650m to 744m. Gain: 322m. Loss: 336m . Gradient: 7 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

Tramping track (4/9)
Cut, marked tramping track: natural, rough ground surface

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

Easy-moderate (difficulty: 2/5)
Tussock / river-gravel / open bush / cut track

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

Streams (difficulty: 2/6)
Small streams, danger only in extreme weather

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

A marked, cut sidle track runs between Iron Gates Hut and Alice Nash Memorial Hut. The track crosses two side creeks, climbing back to terraces 100m above the river after each one. The Alice-Nash end is benched for about 1km, but the remainder is a typical tramping sidle track, with many ups and downs. Both sidestreams are little more than boot deep in normal flows, and it would take very heavy rain to make them impassible.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

A marked, cut sidle track runs between Iron Gates Hut and Alice Nash Memorial Hut. The track crosses two side creeks, climbing back to terraces 100m above the river after each one. The Alice-Nash end is benched for about 1km, but the remainder is a typical tramping sidle track, with many ups and downs. Both sidestreams are little more than boot deep in normal flows, and it would take very heavy rain to make them impassible.